Climbing Back to the Top

Joey Zager

09/26/2010

Greg McMackin enters his third season in Honolulu and increasingly, Hawai'i will begin to look like his team and not that of his predecessor June Jones. McMackin kept the run-and-shoot offense in place, but he knows that rebuilding the offensive line is of the highest priority.

Hawai'i
went on a four-game winning streak at the end of the 2009 season and it is that
achievement that has the locals excited about the upcoming season.

Coach Greg McMackin enters his third season on the islands
with a 13-14 record.He has promoted
popular former Warrior quarterback Nick Rolovich as his offensive coordinator
and tabbed Dave Aranda as the new defensive coordinator.

Hawai'i
finished in the top three nationally in passing last season (337 yards a game)
for the 10th time in 11 years.Junior Bryant Moniz (6-0, 190) returns at quarterback to try to continue that amazing
streak.Moniz was a transfer
out of
Fresno
City
College
who got his opportunity due to injuries and ineffectiveness of the quarterbacks
ahead of him on the depth chart.Moniz
connected on 182 of 319 attempts in 2009 for 2,396 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Shane Austin (6-0, 200, Jr.) saw limited
action last year but he did throw for 299 yards against San JoseState.Brent Rausch (6-4, 180) will challenge for the backup spot—he threw for
2,653 yards and tossed 28 touchdowns in JC ball.

Honolulu
has built a reputation for fleet receivers that simply make plays.This year,
Hawai'i
features All-Conference selection Greg Salas (106 catches last year for 1,590
yards and eight touchdowns), Kealoha Pilares (66 for 690 and four TD's) and
Rodney Bradley, who averaged 18.5 yards per catch until a broken leg sidelined
him last year.

Salas is a big target
(6-2, 200, Sr.) who is deadly after the catch. He exploded for 16 catches and 196 receiving yards
against
New Mexico
State
last year.Pilares (5-11, 200, Sr.)
will work from the "Y" or the outside "X" spot.He was
Hawai'i
's leading rusher as a slotback in 2007 with 388 yards before being converted
to a receiver.Pilares is lightning
quick and hauled in 13 passes for 146 yards last year against UNLV.Bradley (6-0, 190) lit up UNLV's secondary for 189
yards on eight catches and ripped up Washington State for 157 yards on seven
receptions.Bradley chose
Hawai'i
over
Arizona
and could be a huge factor if he stays healthy.Bradley will start at the outside "X" position.

Junior Royce Pollard (6-0, 175) will see action at the
inside "Z" position.Pollard
caught 15 passes last season, has great speed and an incredible vertical leap.After missing most of last year with a leg injury, look for more
production from Pollard this fall.Also
look for junior Joe Avery (6-5, 180), who can cause real damage because of his
speed, jumping ability and the matchup problems he presents. JC transfer Darius Bright (6-5, 225) gives Moniz a big physical target with deep speed and local
product Billy Ray Stutzmann (6-0, 165) is smart and very quick as well as a Hawai'istate champion
sprinter.

In
Hawai'i
's run and shoot offense, the running back doesn't have to gain 1,000
yards—his job is to keep defenses honest and be able to get five yards when
the coaches need him to.Senior Alex Green
(6-2, 220) fills that bill, picking up 453 yards on 86 carries last year.Green is a bruiser that gets to the line quickly and suits the
Hawai'i
offense nicely.

Rolovich must rebuild his offensive line that lost four
players, including the consistent four-year starter John Estes at center.Junior Matagisila Lefiti (6-0, 280) looks to inherit that position.Lefiti has seen action at guard and can move well and possesses a great
frame.

Brett Leonard was recruited from the JC ranks and is ready
to step in at left guard.Leonard
(6-5, 310) has the beef and toughness to lead the ground game.Senior Adrian Thomas (6-6, 300) gets a look at right guard for
Hawai'i
.Junior Austin Hansen (6-4, 285)
and senior Laupepa Letuli (6-4, 310) are expected to start at the tackles.Hansen surprised with his play over the last eight games of the season at
right tackle.He will move over to
the left side to protect Moniz's blind side.Letuli (6-4, 310) was granted a sixth year of eligibility after suffering
a season-ending knee injury in game four.Letuli
excels at run-blocking.

Big things are
expected from Oahu native Chauncy Winchester-Makanai.The 6-4, 330-pound redshirt freshman is the future of the Hawai'i line and could see playing time as early as this year.Another young prospect with high hopes is David Lefotu (6-4, 290).He too could have played in the Pac-10 and will likely start out on the
depth chart as a tackle.Frank Loyd
(6-5, 275) is another top recruit that just needs to add some weight.

With untested
upperclassmen and promising youngsters, look for a lot of shifting in the
starting five.Rolovich doesn't
have the proven pass-blocking going into the season that he would like to keep
the high-powered offense firing on all cylinders. The raw ability and talent is
certainly there and "Rolo" will go with the best five.The Warriors have allowed 128 sacks over the last three seasons, mostly
because defenses know what is coming but also because the line hasn't been as
steady as they were in 2008.Hawai'i knows that they have to rebuild the
unit to a position of strength.

Seven starters return on defense, led by defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga
and safeties Mana Silva and Spencer Smith.Meatoga
(6-2, 290, Jr.) is quick and tough but just needs to work on consistency.He will be joined by Haku Correa (6-1, 290, So.) at tackle while Elliott Purcell (6-3, 250, Sr.) and either Liko Satale (6-2, 260) or Paipai Falemalu
(6-3, 230, So.) look to start at the end positions.Purcell, who blossomed into a starter with 30 stops last season, is being
counted on for a big year.

Sophomore
Geordon Hanohano (6-2, 300) was one of the prized recruits in the class of 2008
and he has the size to stop the run in the middle.For now, he will back up Meatoga.Kaniela Tuipulotu (6-2, 300, Jr.) is another player that could be a factor for the
Warriors.A native of
Maui
, Tuipulotu started seven games at nose tackle for
Arizona
before transferring closer to home.

Silva (6-1, 220, Sr.) had a league-high six interceptions
and was fourth on the defense with 74 tackles despite missing four games with an
injury.Silva, who started his
career at
Oregon
State
, is a sure tackler with great range and athleticism.Smith (5-11, 205, Sr.) recorded 77 tackles and broke up seven passes from
his free safety position.Smith is a
versatile tough hitter that could be moved where needed.Junior Richard Torres (5-8, 175) is another good tackler and tough for
his size.Torres started four games
at free safety and finished with 44 tackles and an interception.Torres will see action in nickel situations and provides good backup.

Seniors
Lemetrius Davis (6-0, 190) and Jeramy Bryant (5-10, 180) are set to go at
cornerback.Bryant came to the
islands as a top JC prospect and finished with 45 tackles and five pass
breakups.The Warriors coaches look
for him to be more aggressive in his pass coverage.

The entire starting linebacking unit must be replaced.Converted safety Aaron Brown hopes to earn a spot there.Paipai Falemalu (6-3, 230, So.) saw action in nearly every game last year
at defensive end.He made 20 tackles
with two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.Coaches
expect Falemalu to use his speed to wreak havoc starting farther back.The job at middle backer may be George Daily-Lyles' to lose.Daily-Lyles has a great frame (5-11, 230) and shows great tackling
ability.Juniors Aaron Brown (6-1,
205), Jake Heun (6-2, 240) and Parker Paredes (5-11, 235) also will battle for
the three starting jobs.

Scott Enos will handle placekicking duties this fall with
sophomore Alex Dunnachie (6-3, 235) slated to do the punting.Enos connected on 12 of 19 field goal attempts including a season-long 47
yarder vs. UNLV.Dunnachle
averaged 39.2 yards per kick last season and placed 10 boots inside the 20.The sophomore worked in concert with his coverage team to allow just 1.7
yards per return.

Hawai'i
could bounce back to a bowl game this year but they will have to have a strong
start.The Warriors entertain
NCAA-sanctioned USC in the season opener along with home games against
Charleston
Southern and UNLV and consecutive road tilts at Army and
Colorado
.All of those are winnable,
including the game with USC.The
Trojans have been battered this off-season both with the penalties and
defections and may be vulnerable.

In the WAC,
Hawai'i
hosts Louisiana Tech,
Nevada
,
Idaho
and
San Jose
State
.In turn, they must travel to
Boise
State
,
Fresno
State
and
Utah
State
(three of the league's top teams) as well as to
New Mexico
State
.